Father Knows Best
by morecolorfulmoniker
Summary: The story of Rapunzel, as told in the Once Upon a Time universe. And yes, I know she is supposed to have green eyes. A fic converted from a script of an episode of OUAT that I wrote.
1. Chapter 1

"After what you did, I'm never going to stop trying to get away from you!"

Emma turned from her seat at the counter to see a young girl of about 18 who she didn't recognize storming out of Granny's, Mr. Gold following close behind her.

"What the hell was that about? Emma asked Ruby, who glanced towards the door and shrugged.

"No idea."

Emma stood up and tossed a few dollars down on the counter, grabbed her jacket off of the back of her chair, and followed the pair outside. As soon as she opened the door, the sound of Mr. Gold's voice cut through the silence of an otherwise peaceful morning in Storybrooke. An uncharacteristically peaceful morning, Emma noted as she sighed and started towards them.

Emma thought that by now she'd have known all of the residents of the small town, but as she racked her brain for any memories of this girl, she realized that she had never seen her before. Not even in Henry's book.

But she couldn't have been a stranger. Strangers didn't come to Storybrooke. And judging from the daggers she and Mr. Gold were shooting out of their eyes at each other, the two had a very obvious past.

"You're choosing to believe the analysis of someone who you had just met over someone who's known you your entire life? Darling, that's absurd!" Mr. Gold said, as Emma grew closer.

"You kept me hidden my entire life, and when I finally got out and discovered that the world was not evil like you always said, you did everything in your power to ensure that my gift would always belong to you," the girl shot back.

"I was protecting you. I didn't want your power. I didn't need your power. All I wanted was for you to be safe from a world that only would have broken your heart. That did break your heart." Mr. Gold's hard expression softened for a moment as he looked down at the girl.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Emma asked, stepping between them.

"Nothing, Sheriff Swan. My _daughter_ and I were just having a _private_ discussion," Mr. Gold snapped, his eyes still on the girl, who continued to glare back at him.

"First of all, if you wanted it to be private, you probably shouldn't be standing in the middle of Main Street screaming at each other. And second, since when do you have a daughter?" Emma asked, scanning the girl for any sign of resemblance or recognition. Her brown hair was short and wavy. Longer than Mary Margaret's, but not long enough to touch her shoulders. Nothing in her face resembled Mr. Gold in the slightest, but there was something about her that Emma recognized. Something in the girl's blue eyes that seemed familiar.

"He doesn't. I'm _not_ his daughter," the girl replied, snapping Emma back to reality after she realized she'd been staring at the girl for an uncomfortably long time, desperately trying to work out what was so familiar about her.

"Then who are you?" Emma asked, glancing from the girl to Mr. Gold curiously. It seemed almost funny that she had left the apartment this morning, looked up at the sun shining down out of a cloudless sky, and had let herself hope that today would be a quiet day…a normal day.

The girl turned her eyes away from Mr. Gold for the first time to stare directly at Emma, who was suddenly overwhelmed by the feeling that she had looked into these very same eyes somewhere before. She wouldn't forget that particular shade of blue. But she finally shook her head, reminding herself that no matter what she felt, she had definitely never seen this girl before, no matter who she was.

"I'm Rapunzel."


	2. Chapter 2

The King and Queen of Corona sat next to a small crib, tears falling from the Queen's eyes. The King leaned over, kissed her forehead, and retreated from the room. Outside in the hallway, a man appeared to be waiting for him.

"What can be done, Doctor?" the King asked, glancing back towards the door he just closed.

"I'm afraid there is nothing, Your Highness. She doesn't have much time." The Doctor looked at him, a shared sadness hanging in the air between them. The King nodded to dismiss the doctor and walked dejectedly into his study, pacing the room.

"Why, hello!" an enthusiastic voice greeted the King from the balcony. The King looked up to see a man…or what appeared to be man, but couldn't possibly have been human. The…creature…before him was dressed like a man, but his skin appeared to be covered in scales. The mischievous smile he wore sent chills down the King's spine as he reached for the closest weapon that he could find: a dagger in the drawer of his desk.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"The name's Rumplestiltskin," the creature said with a flourish of his hand and a bow.

"How did you get in here?" the King asked, edging closer to him, the dagger still pointed straight at him.

"Through the front door, of course. Your guards seemed a bit…pre-occupied…with a young orphan boy wreaking havoc in the stables. If only they knew," Rumplestiltskin replied with a haunting giggle.

"So why are you here?" the King asked. Rumplestiltskin glanced at the mantle where a small crown sat in a glass case. He approached the case and gazed inside, his hand caressing the glass before he spun around suddenly to face the King again.

"Your princess is dying, and there is no hope left!" he exclaimed, as if he were all too happy to be expressing such tragic news.

"And you can save her?" The King asked, not allowing himself to hope just yet.

"No. But I have something that can," he said, his smile growing wider to reveal a mouthful of rotting teeth. Despite his reluctance, the King lowered his dagger slightly. Taking the King's movement for curiosity, Rumplestiltskin conjured a flower, its heart purple and its petals gold, glowing in the night. The King's eyes widened as he stepped even closer, leaving only a small amount of space between them. "I'm sure you recognize it. After all, you built this kingdom on the idea of it."

"Where did you find that?" the King asked, raising his dagger again.

"There's no need for that," Rumplestiltskin said as he waved his hand and the dagger disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke. "What's important is not how I got it, but what you're willing to do to get it."

"If it can do what the legends say…if it has the power to save her, I'll do anything," the King said, taking several steps back.

"It most certainly does, Dearie. My price is simple, really. I want it back. The power. After you save the child, you will return the healing power to me. It's quite hard to come by," Rumplestiltskin said, a certain air of trickery about him that the King didn't trust in the least. But what other choice did he have?

"Of course. As soon as she's healed, you can have it back," he promised.

"So we have a deal?" Rumplestiltskin asked hopefully, rolling out a scroll of paper as the King sighed, pulling a quill off of his desk and signing at the bottom.

The King walked into the Doctor's office, placing the flower down in front of him. The Doctor looked up, his expression asking an unspoken question that the King answered with a simple nod.

The Doctor placed the flower into a bowl of water, the golden glow spreading throughout the liquid. He carried it carefully into the nursery, followed closely by the King. As the door opened, the Queen turned to see who had entered, and upon seeing the hope in her husband's eyes, glanced back down at the crib with a smile on her face.

A baby girl with long blonde hair smiled up from her crib as the Queen reached inside and lifted her into her arms, smiling and nuzzling her nose against the giggling child. The King reached out and placed the crown from his case on the baby's head, laughing when it fell down over her eyes.

The King and Queen carried the baby out onto the balcony where a paper lantern with the symbol of the sun sat suspended on the rail. Together, they raised the lantern into the air, watching as the entire kingdom followed suit. Soon, the sky was filled with lanterns, a beautiful sight to behold, but the King and Queen only had eyes for the baby girl in their arms.

Later that very same night, the baby slept silently in her crib, her long blonde locks draped over her like a small blanket. Suddenly, a puff of purple smoke filled the room. As it faded away, Rumplestiltskin materialized just over the crib, staring down at the baby with an evil grin. His eyes, however, were filled with an unexplained sadness as he reached out as if to caress her cheek, but quickly pulled away and with a shake of his head, tightened his fist. The moment that he did, the baby's hair began to glow from root to tip, a golden blanket wrapped comfortably around her. Smirk growing, Rumplestiltskin produced an empty vial from his vest, reached down into the crib, taking a strand of hair into his hand, and sliced it off with his dagger. The second that the hair was separated from the baby's head, however, it turned brown and the glow disappeared.

Holding a powerless strand of hair in his hand, Rumplestiltskin turned and stormed towards the balcony doors, paced back to the crib, and glanced down at the sleeping baby inside. Wringing his hands, he sighed with exasperation and lifted the baby up, taking care to extend his arms out as far as he could in order to maintain a physical…and emotional…separation between them. But the movement woke her, and he expected her cries to echo throughout the kingdom the second that she saw the stranger holding her. However, she smiled, completely unafraid, and latched her tiny hand onto one of his fingers. He softened, then, a genuine smile turning up his lips for the first time in what felt like an eternity. He pulled her close, against his chest, and couldn't help but rub his finger against her cheek.

"You can't have her," said a new voice as Rumplestiltskin looked up to find the King with a sword outstretched. "Take what you came for. We have no use for the power now. It means a great deal to me, what you did for her, but if you think that means that you have some kind of claim to her…"

"But I am taking what I came for," Rumplestiltskin interrupted. "The power is here." He waved his free hand over the baby, and the King looked on, his eyes wide as her hair began to glow once again.

"You knew this would happen. You knew that it would become part of her," the King accused, his eyes still on the baby.

"I knew that the power would remain…intact…but not how or where," Rumplestiltskin replied, his grip instinctively tightening on the baby still in his arms.

"You can't have her," the King repeated through gritted teeth.

"That was the deal we made."

The King pointed the sword even closer to Rumplestiltskin's neck.

"And if I were to kill you?"

"The deal would be broken and the child would die," Rumplestiltskin said, though his usual enthusiasm at expressing the fine point of a deal was lost as he glanced down at the girl.

After a moment of silent consideration, the King lowered his sword, his eyes dark.

"You won't get away with this," he growled.

"That's the thing about children. Before you know it, you lose them," Rumplestiltskin said, spinning in a circle of smoke and disappearing into the night, a second chance he never expected and wasn't sure he wanted holding tightly to his finger.


	3. Chapter 3

Mr. Gold walked into the sheriff's office, a look of pure annoyance written on his face, as Emma followed behind him. David, who was leaning back in his chair, his feet propped upon the desk, leaned forward and touched back down to the ground as they entered, but neither Emma nor Mr. Gold paid him any attention. The second the door snapped shut, Mr. Gold spun around to face Emma, their faces almost touching.

"You have no idea what you're dealing with, Sheriff. She's confused, and you just let her go because you assume that I'm the villain," he said through gritted teeth.

"And after your track record, I'm just supposed to assume that you're not?" Emma replied, just as defiant. David, sensing the tension, stood up and walked over to stand between them.

"What's going on?"

"Did you know that he has a daughter?" Emma asked, her eyes never leaving Gold's. David tilted his head, obviously confused.

"A daughter? No, I've never seen him with anyone other than Belle."

"Well, apparently he does. A daughter who claims that he kidnapped her at birth in order to keep some sort of power for himself."

"What did you do?" David asked slowly, his voice low.

"A long time ago, I took the girl in and raised her. She was given a magical gift shortly after she was born, and I ensured that no one in our world ever took advantage of her because of that gift. All magic comes with a price, as you know, and if I had left her where she was, she would never have survived. Someone else would have found her and used her for their own purposes," Mr. Gold said, looking past them, as if drawing the memory of that time to the forefront of his mind.

"So instead you chose to use her for yours?" Emma said bitterly.

"I never used her gift for myself, and I never forced her to use it for anyone else. It was always her choice. Magic only works if you believe in it."

"If you expect me to believe that you too this girl from her family for her own good—"

"Believe what you want, Dearie. If you'll excuse me, I have to find my daughter," Mr. Gold interrupted as he pushed past Emma and David and left the station, slamming the door behind him.

Emma turned to David, his hands resting on his hips as he stared intently at the floor.

"Do you have the same feeling I do?" Emma asked.

"That there's more to this than Gold is telling us? Of course. That's how he operates."

"You're right," Emma agreed, sighing. "I'll keep an eye on him…and her. I just hope that for her sake, whatever Gold is up to doesn't end—well, the way most of his stories seem to."

David looked up, leaving his thoughts behind, and nodded.

Just down the street from the sheriff's station, Rapunzel stood alone, stopping every few steps to glance behind her, when she passed by a group of townspeople setting up picnic tables and hanging streamers. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw someone approaching, but she didn't turn to look at who it might be.

"It's going to be quite a celebration tonight," Regina said, following Rapunzel's gaze to the set-up.

"What celebration?" Rapunzel asked without looking at Regina.

"You'll find out soon enough," she replied with a dark smile. Rapunzel finally turned to look at her, immediately taking a step back when she realized who was speaking.

"I know you. I used to watch you come to and from the castle," she said as Regina turned to meet her shocked gaze.

"I'm Regina Mills, mayor of Storybrooke, but I'm sure you know me by a different name. I believe your father referred to me affectionately as—"

"—the Evil Queen," Rapunzel interrupted as Regina let out a humorless chuckle.

"I thought so. Funny, being called evil by the very person who helped make you that way."

"I believe that everyone has a choice in their own destiny," Rapunzel replied without hesitation, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Like you had a choice when your…father…kept you trapped in two different worlds? I haven't ever seen you before, but you were affected by the curse, which means he must have been keeping you somewhere here in town all this time," Regina said as Rapunzel looked away, back towards the set-up for the celebration.

"He's _not_ my father," she hissed. "And how do you know about me?"

"Your story is not one that remained a secret, Rapunzel. I also know that you're not going to find what you're looking for in Storybrooke." Rapunzel's head spun back around as her gaze met Regina's once more, her blue eyes almost desperate…pleading.

"How could you know what I'm looking for?"

"Because it's the same thing everyone is looking for. You lost someone. Someone you cared about. But I enacted the curse, dear, and I can promise you that it doesn't bring back the dead." Regina was the one to look away this time as Rapunzel's eyes filled with tears.

"But how can this be it for me? How can I have no one left?" she asked, her voice breaking.

"That is a question for your father."


	4. Chapter 4

The Evil Queen glided out of a patch of forest into a clearing where a castle loomed over her, its commanding presence nearly as unnerving as its resident. Above her, thousands of bright lights flickered and floated through the sky, casting dancing shadows on the castle walls from some distance away, but she paid no attention to them as a wave of her hand opened the door without need for any pause in her stride.

"What a pleasant surprise, Your Majesty. You really ought to try knocking, though," Rumplestiltskin's voice greeted her from around a corner before the door had sealed shut behind her.

"You knew I was coming, Rumple. You couldn't possibly expect me to have knocked," she replied without hesitation as she turned the corner to see him sitting at his wheel, as always.

"But of course!" he exclaimed with a raise of one claw-like finger. "Manners are a thing of the past when dark curses are the topic of discussion." He turned around to face her, those dark eyes boring into hers. That familiar sneer when he knew he'd caught someone in a moment of weakness written on his face. She stepped closer to him, her eyes suddenly bright with the desire that she couldn't seem to hide.

"I've played your game long enough. What is it that you want?" she asked as Rumplestiltskin glanced back at his wheel for a long moment before his eyes locked back on hers.

"I have a…treasure. And I'd like to ensure that said treasure remain in my possession, no matter what…surprises…may befall us," he said carefully, cautiously.

"What sort of treasure would be worth this curse when you can spin straw into gold?" she asked, casting a glance at the overflowing basket of gold thread sitting by his wheel.

He stood, crossed the room to the nearest window, and looked up to the top of his tallest tower. Shuddering to think about what might await her should she look, Regina followed his gaze anyway and noticed what appeared to be hair…a string of long, blonde hair…hanging out of the window and blowing in the wind.

"Her name is Rapunzel," Rumplestiltskin said softly. His change of voice…change of character…was so sudden that Regina whipped her head around to look at him as he lowered his eyes, his entire being overcome with appeared to be…sadness?

"You care for her," Regina said in a moment of realization. But as quickly as his moment of weakness had come, it was gone again, his expression as tough and firm as the skin he was cursed with.

"My motives hold a purpose, an explanation for which I owe no one," he said.

"So then what is it that you want from me in exchange for the curse?" she asked.

"All magic comes with a price, Dearie." He turned to look at her and for one rare moment, she saw him as just a man, and she knew exactly what he desired.

"A price that you aren't willing to pay to enact the curse yourself," she said, but he didn't answer. "Who is she, Rumple? What does she mean to you?"

"It's not her importance to _me_ that matters," he said, a low growl in his voice. He turned his eyes to the lights still floating up in the sky as Regina stepped back in shock, her realization overpowering her.

"It can't be. You mean to tell me _that_ is the lost princess of Corona? The one whose birth and loss is celebrated every year with those lanterns? The heir to a throne that's been empty since her parents—" She stopped, considering her words for a moment. "How old is she?"

Rumplestiltskin looked at a sun dial sitting in the corner of the room and sighed, the weary sound of someone who knew more about time then he cared to say.

"Young enough to need someone."

Regina looked out the window again. The long string of hair still billowed in the wind outside the tower, but this time she could make out a small silhouette standing there as well.

"So it is that you love her," she said, trying not to let this new realization cloud her judgment or ruin her chance at achieving what she had been working towards for so long. "Well at the very least, you got a new girl. After the tragedy with the last one, I thought you'd all but given up. All right, Rumple, if you give me the curse, I will ensure that you can keep your daughter…treasure…or whatever it is that you call her."

"It's in the cabinet," he said without looking at her, pointing his finger towards a large cabinet on the far wall. Regina approached it carefully, opened the door, and scanned the vials until she found the one that she had been searching for. Smiling with long-awaited satisfaction, she reached out a trembling hand and took it.

"My ticket to finally getting rid of Snow White," she said aloud, her expression dark.

"Yes, yes, revenge is yours. Now, if you don't mind, I have other business to attend to tonight," Rumplestiltskin said impatiently.

"Yes, the young girl up in that tower alone must be of particular concern to the person who keeps her locked there. If I were to offer you some advice, Rumple…" she said, though a high-pitched, manic giggle interrupted her.

"And what advice could I possibly want from you?"

"…I would tell you to beware your love for her. One day, no matter what you do, she'll learn the truth. And she'll hate you for it," Regina finished, ignoring his interruption. For a split second, she thought she saw his wall crumble again, as if he knew that she was right but would never admit it.

She turned and walked away, leaving Rumplestiltskin standing at the window, his eyes still on the lanterns in the sky.


	5. Chapter 5

A flash of purple appeared amidst a sea of gold as Rapunzel performed her morning chores of dusting her collection of books, washing any stray drops of paint that may have fallen while she filled the walls with every dream she ever could have conceived in her mind, and of course, brushing her impossibly long hair that trailed behind her.

Clouds and flowers…the ones she saw from her window…adorned the walls in the form of her paintings. In them, she stood among them, smelling each flower, basking in the sunlight…in them, she was free. She was in the middle of filling what perhaps was the last bit of empty space she had on the wall, humming a tune quietly to herself, when a voice interrupted her.

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair," Rumplestiltskin exclaimed in a sing-song voice. Rapunzel spun around, tossing her brush into her box of paints.

"Very funny, Papa," she said with a teasing roll of her eyes. She turned back to the painting, quickly pulled a curtain over it, and hopped down from the mantle on which she'd been sitting, her hair landing in a heap at her feet. Rumplestiltskin looked from the girl to the curtain with curious suspicion.

"Hiding one of your masterpieces? That's not like you," he assessed as he disappeared in a cloud of smoke, reappearing almost immediately up on the mantle and pulling the curtain back.

"No, Papa, wait—" Rapunzel said, reaching out towards him, but she was too late. The painting on the wall depicted a nighttime scene, thousands of bright lights filling the dark blue sky, and Rapunzel sitting atop a large tree, admiring the lights with a smile on her face. "Papa, I was going to ask you later, at dinner. But tomorrow is my birthday, and I was hoping that you could take me to see the floating lights." She kicked nervously at the wooden floor, unable to meet his eyes.

_No matter what, she'll learn the truth. And she'll hate you for it_. The Evil Queen's words echoed in Rumplestiltskin's mind, and for one brief moment, he experienced genuine fear. Fear of losing what he had surprisingly come to cherish in his time spent with Rapunzel. Fear of being alone yet again. But he quickly shook any doubts away, reminding himself of who he was, the power that he possessed, and more importantly, the role that Rapunzel was destined to play in the future.

"I've told you that you can't leave the castle. This is the only place where you're safe from all of the evils that this world has to offer. The only thing that matters here is power, and once they find out you have it, they'll do anything to take it from you," he said, a well-rehearsed speech that Rapunzel knew by heart.

"And the Evil Queen, who comes here often? What about her, Papa?" she asked, defiance bright in her blue eyes. Rumplestiltskin froze for a moment, as if he saw something in the girl that he had never expected.

"She is…a necessary evil that I am fully capable of protecting you from, should the need arise. But it won't," he said with absolute certainty.

"Papa, I'm not a little girl anymore. I know that you're called The Dark One. I know that everyone makes deals with you when they don't have anywhere else to turn, and you help them, but for a price that you name. And I know about the young woman who used to live—"

"Enough!" he interrupted with a roar. "You aren't stepping foot outside of this castle, Dearie, and that's the end of it!" He turned and stormed out of the room, slamming the door and leaving Rapunzel alone, her eyes quickly filling with tears. He stomped down the stairs, glanced at the chipped cup in the corner of the dining hall on the pedestal where he kept it, and with a wave of his hand, threw open the front doors and left, the force of the slamming of wood back into place behind him shaking the entire castle.


	6. Chapter 6

The door to the sheriff's office slammed shut behind him as Mr. Gold started back towards his shop. He didn't bother to slow his quick pace when Regina fell into step beside him, nor did he pay her any attention whatsoever.

"I saw your daughter," she said after a moment.

"And I'm sure that went quite well," he spat back at her, quickening his pace even further.

"It's nice to see this side of you. The protective father, chasing after a rebellious child who hates you. It's a familiar story," she responded, the faintest hint of sympathy in her voice. Mr. Gold stopped suddenly as Regina jolted to a stop next to him, waiting as he spun to face her.

"One, if I recall, you warned me about. Isn't that right, Your Majesty?" The silence was deafening as they both heard her words in their heads.

"I'm not here to gloat. You've tried to help me with Henry, and I owe you for that. And you know how I hate being in your debt."

"I don't recall striking any deals with you, but since you're offering…" he trailed off, unsure of what she might know that could possibly help him.

"She's in the park, wandering around like a lost puppy." As he turned to head towards the park, she grabbed his arm. "But a word of advice that you should follow this time? Let her be. Chasing after her will only push her further away. Trust me."

"One difference between you and me, Dearie," he said, pulling his arm out of her grasp. "My child has no one else to run to. I made sure of that."

But regardless of his words, the confidence in his voice did not reach his eyes, and Mr. Gold turned back around and started in the direction of his shop, knowing that as much as he hated to admit it, Regina was right.

Rapunzel stood alone, furiously wiping the tears from her eyes and cheeks, and threw open the door to her tower.

"I'll show him that I can handle myself out there," she said, her eyes bright with the possibility of proving her father wrong.

She flew down the steps and ripped a map of the kingdom off of the wall, but stopped dead in her tracks the moment that she opened the door. Taking a deep breath, she stepped outside. The moment that her bare foot touched the grass, she gasped, looked down, and smiled.

Suddenly, she was running, the wind blowing her hair out behind her, as she disappeared into the forest. Just then, Rumplestiltskin came walking back out of the forest from the opposite direction. He walked through the front door and immediately took the stairs to Rapunzel's tower.

"Rapunzel, Darling?" he asked, his voice calm and composed…almost apologetic. When he heard no answer, he threw the door open and upon discovering that the tower was empty, he reached up and tore down the curtain on the wall, staring up at Rapunzel's painting with both overwhelming fear and absolute fury in his eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

**My Internet went out for a short period of time yesterday, and I managed to find the time to update this fic, finally! I'm so excited about where this is going, and I hope you all are too!**

Mr. Gold opened the door to his shop, crossed the room, and came to a stop behind one of the glass cases, sighing deeply as he cast his eyes down inside the case. Suddenly, the bell on the door rang, announcing the presence of a potential customer or possibly just someone else come to harass him about his parenting choice. He didn't bother looking up.

"Whatever you need, I'm sure that it can wait until tomorrow. The sign clearly says _Closed_," he muttered.

"Actually, I've done enough waiting," Rapunzel snapped as Mr. Gold jerked his head up the moment he heard her voice.

"You came back," he said softly, though Rapunzel's hard expression did not soften.

"Where is he?"

The second the question left her lips, his eyes narrowed to slits, his lips turning down into their frequent frown.

"You've met our Madam Mayor, I hear," he said flatly.

"Where IS he?" she repeated, her hands trembling at her sides as her eyes fixed upon the object in the glass case and her fingers curled tightly into fists. "How did you get that?"

"It doesn't mean what you think it means, Rapunzel," Gold answered, knowing what meaning the object held for his daughter.

"What have you done with him?" she asked, her usual bright, ever-cheerful voice now dark and full of pain.

"You were there, Darling. I'm afraid you already know what happened. The curse didn't change that, no matter what Regina may have said to make you think otherwise." She looked away, taking a deep breath in an attempt to summon as much strength as all of the remaining hope she had left seemed to leave her.

"I've been listening to you lie to me my entire life, and when you finally tell the truth…" she trailed off for a moment as her blue eyes filled with tears. But when she finally spoke again, her voice was strong despite her entire world falling apart around her. "The world didn't break my heart, Rumplestiltskin, you did."

She turned to leave the shop as Mr. Gold reached into the glass, pulled out Rapunzel's crown, and caught his reflection in the large diamonds, swiping at the small tears that had formed in his own eyes.

The same small crown glittered brilliantly through the partially opened flap of a worn brown leather satchel with a patch sewn on the bottom. The satchel itself was wrapped tightly around the hand of a man running through the forest, a group of palace guards pursuing him on horseback. Knowing he was near capture, he quickly scrambled up the nearest tree, burying himself in a thicket of leaves halfway up. The convoy of guards galloped past at full speed, disappearing over a hill minutes later. The man slid back down the tree, catching a glimpse of a piece of paper attached to the bark when he reached the bottom. As his eyes focused in on the piece of paper, a look of pure panic in his expression as he tore the paper from the tree and glanced down at a rendering of his own face with the large bolded words "WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE: THIEF FLYNN RIDER" written on it, the seal of the kingdom of Corona stamped at the bottom.

He stuffed the paper into the satchel with the crown and, after ensuring that the guards were indeed gone, he walked a short ways before reaching a large wall of thick vines. He walked straight through the vines to reveal a hidden cavern with a small point of light at the end. Emerging on the other side, he looked up at Rumplestiltskin's castle with a small smirk. He quickly approached, knocked on the main entrance door, and when no one answered, walked in.

"Rumplestiltskin?" he asked as the large door swung open with a creak. When he heard no answer, he took a couple of steps inside. "I know that you told me only to come at night, but this situation was slightly more…tense…than the others, and I was hoping to get rid of it as quickly as possible." Silence answered him again. Curiosity increasing, he began to explore the castle, glancing inside cabinets and at various trinkets on display and smiling proudly at each as if they were his, when he came across a set of stairs. Slightly conflicted but more eager to see what was at the top of the staircase, he climbed the stairs two at a time and cautiously opened the door to find Rumplestiltskin standing in a room, staring up at what appeared to be a painting on the wall.

"I've never seen this part of the castle before. It's a lot more…artistic…than I expected from you," he said, sarcasm thick in his tone.

"I need you to retrieve something else from Corona," Rumplestiltskin replied without looking at Flynn.

"Listen, the kingdom and I aren't exactly 'simpatico' at the moment, considering you just had me steal the crown of a princess they have been mourning for 18 years. There's a price on my head." Flynn pulled the WANTED poster and crown out of his satchel and held both of them out towards Rumplestiltskin, who snatched them away and focused his gaze on the crown.

"What I want is much more valuable than a crown," he said, his eyes bright.

"If I were to get caught, neither of us would get what we want," Flynn answered, his eyes still on the poster crumpled in Rumplestiltskin's hand.

"And if I were to turn you in and seek out this treasure myself, I would get what I want and you would get…well, there'd be no head left to put a price on," he said with a malicious giggle. Flynn's confident mask broke for a moment, his eyes filling with fear, but he quickly turned his head, trying to hide his true emotions.

"Fine. We have a deal," he said, knowing that he had no other choice. "You said this treasure is in Corona?"

"It's making the journey now, and I need you to…intercept it," Rumplestiltskin answered, choosing his words carefully.

"How am I supposed to find it?"

"Gold is not the only item of value that shines, Dearie," Rumplestiltskin said, baring his teeth in a grin that sent chills down Flynn's spine.

"Now sure how that's supposed to help me, but I've done enough jobs for you to know when you aren't going to tell me anything more. I'll find your treasure, give it to you, and you'll pay me what I deserve?"

"Of course," Rumplestiltskin said, smile growing wider as he held out his hand. After a moment's hesitation, Flynn reached out and shook it, unsure why he felt like this job would be different than all of the others.


	8. Chapter 8

Rapunzel sat at the bar in Granny's, her shoulders slumped as she stared down at the empty shot glasses on the counter in front of her. Emma and Mary Margaret sat at a booth nearby watching her intently over two glasses of cocoa.

"Underage drinking seems to be an overlooked law in this town," Emma muttered, more to herself than to Mary Margaret.

"Back in our world, there wasn't exactly a drinking age. Besides, could you blame the poor girl? Being raised by Rumplestiltskin," her mother replied as she picked up her mug and tapped her fingers aimlessly against the sides.

"I can't even begin to imagine."

"So after all this time, he had a daughter that none of us knew about?"

"Yes. No. Who knows. Her name's Rapunzel," Emma said as Mary Margaret nearly spit out a sip of cocoa in her mouth.

"Oh no. That can't be," she said when she'd finally recovered.

"I agree. In all of the fairy tales, Rapunzel has long hair. That's the whole point of her story. This girl's just got a pixie—"

"No, Emma," Mary Margaret interrupted. "I don't mean that it isn't Rapunzel. I mean, I didn't believe it was possible that she could still be alive."

"What?"

"Back in our world, there was a kingdom called Corona. The king and queen had a baby girl, but she was sick as an infant. Supposedly, the king saved her life with magic, but shortly after Rapunzel was born, she was taken. The king and queen searched and searched. They never stopped looking for her. Even after their death, the kingdom would release thousands of lanterns into the sky on her birthday as a beacon to the lost princess. That's what the lantern celebration in Storybrooke tonight is about. But…" she hesitated for a moment, glancing from Rapunzel to Emma and back.

"What is it?"

"Rapunzel would have been born hundreds of years before I was. Before anyone in Storybrooke existed…except…" she trailed off, though the widening of Emma's eyes told her that she already knew the end of the sentence.

"So you're saying that Rumplestiltskin kidnapped this princess and raised her for HUNDREDS of years, but she still looks 18?"

"You'd be surprised, what magic can do," a new voice said as they both looked up to see Rapunzel looking at them from across the diner. She stood up from her stool and approached their booth.

"So you're Rapunzel, the lost princess. I'm Mary Marg-"

"Snow White, I know," Rapunzel interrupted, though after seeing the hurt look on Mary Margaret's face, was quick to continue. "Even locked away in a tower for as long as I was, I know your story. It's nice to meet you." She managed a smile, though it didn't quite travel up to her eyes.

"Would you like to sit and talk?" Mary Margaret asked, shifting her eyes to Emma and hoping her daughter would pick up on an unspoken request for the two to talk alone. Emma nodded as she started to slide out of the booth.

"I have a few things to do down at the station. I'll see you tonight, Mary Margaret."

Emma smiled down at Rapunzel as she turned and left the diner, casting one last glance back at the booth just as Rapunzel sat down.

"So you were raised by Rumplestiltskin?"

"I was kept in a room at the top of the tallest tower in his castle and believed that I was his daughter," Rapunzel answered flatly.

"And you never aged?"

"Once I turned 18, I stopped aging. A product of the magic I was born with. I had the power to heal wounds and turn back time on aging for others. I guess the same worked on me without my control. But I've started aging since the curse broke," she said, glancing down at the table and absentmindedly fiddling with a napkin in her hands.

"Why?"

"My magic…didn't make it to Storybrooke," she replied, her eyes filling with tears.

"What else didn't make it to Storybrooke?" Mary Margaret asked, knowing that there was more than what she was letting on. Rapunzel's head snapped up, obviously surprised that Mary Margaret had caught on to whatever it was she hadn't said. After a moment, she sighed and turned her gaze out the window.

"I sat looking out a window for so long with this feeling that I belonged somewhere else. That my magic wasn't something to keep hidden but to be able to share. And back in our world, there was _someone_…who showed me that my power didn't define me. That I was worth more than that." She carelessly wiped away the tears that were rolling down her red cheeks.

"You fell in love," Mary Margaret said in complete understanding as Rapunzel slid out of the booth and turned to walk away before turning back for just a moment.

"I fell in love," she repeated, her voice full of despair and pain. The kind of pain that Mary Margaret had only known for a brief period of time and couldn't possibly imagine having to live with for the rest of her life.


	9. Chapter 9

**Next chapter! Another character that you all know comes into the story in this chapter. Some of you may have already heard the story of how this character was not meant to even be a part of this at all until they just showed up in this chapter one day as I was writing the script. I hope you enjoy!**

Rapunzel skipped her way through the forest, stopping every few seconds to admire a flower or the wind blowing through the trees. She reached out to touch everything that she possibly could, from the tree bark to a chameleon hiding in a thicket of moss. Shortly after she spent several minutes walking backwards to take a mental picture of just how far she'd already come, she turned a corner and was startled by a small building at the end of a path, the very earth beneath it slanted, with a sign out front that read "The Snuggly Duckling."

"I do like ducklings," she muttered to herself after a moment's consideration as she ventured down the walking path and into the first building she'd ever seen apart from her father's castle.

The door opened to reveal a dimly lit bar full of the most terrifying of men, all dressed in animal skins and armor and each brandishing his own weapon of choice. She immediately turned to leave just as one of the men slammed it closed in her face.

"That's a lot of hair," he remarked, his voice deep and dark.

Rapunzel smiled nervously, reaching her trembling hand down and taking hold of a frying pan she'd brought from the castle as a potential weapon, swinging it around, and threatening the thugs with it as if it were a sword. Suddenly, a man hidden in the shadows next to her chuckled before she saw a dark mass rise from a sitting position to tower over her. When he finally stepped out from the shadows and approached her, she couldn't help but gasp when he held up a silver hook in the place of his hand.

"You think that cooking utensil is any match for a hook, Lass?" he asked as Rapunzel began to back away until she bumped into the wall behind her, holding the pan out as far as her arms would reach to maintain as much space between herself and the hook-handed man as possible. However, he continued to approach her, only stopping just when he was close enough to see her face. Though the second that he laid eyes on her, his own expression was no longer one of intimidating confidence but of a shocking vulnerability. He quickly recovered and that confidence snapped back into place, though somewhat weaker then.

"Who are you?" he asked, genuine curiosity in his voice.

"N-no one. I was just passing through," she answered, voice trembling with fear. She started to walk past him before he reached out and pressed the back of his hook against her shoulder, holding her against the wall.

"Then where did you come from?"

"Listen, I don't know where I am, and I'm just trying to get to where the floating lights are going to be because I've been dreaming about them my entire life, and I'm trying to prove to my father that I have what it takes to make it out in the world without being attacked or killed, and this encounter with you is not a good way to start. Haven't you ever had a dream?" she asked desperately. His eyes lowered, away from Rapunzel's, his expression now one of great sadness.

"Aye, I had a dream once. You remind me of her…" he trailed off. Before Rapunzel could answer, the door to the bar flew open with a slam and Flynn Rider strolled in. Upon surveying the bar and spotting Rapunzel, an arrogant smirk formed on his face, but when he noticed the man with the hook standing over her, his hook still pointed out towards her, Flynn stopped, appearing conflicted as he struggled with whether or not he should involve himself in the situation. Finally coming to a decision, he masked his concern with that smirk again and continued strutting until he was standing next to the unlikely pair.

"I've heard about you. Captain Hook. Sailing from faraway lands. But apparently none of those lands have rules about proper etiquette in the presence of a beautiful girl," Flynn remarked with a wink at Rapunzel.

"Ah, and it seems I've heard of you as well, Flynn Rider. Your face is on every tree from here to the kingdom. Come to try and acquire a treasure, have you?" Hook replied, turning his hook on Flynn though Rapunzel remained against the wall, fearing any attempt at leaving would fail.

At Hook's mention of treasure, Flynn narrowed his eyes in false understanding, believing that Hook may have had the treasure that Rumplestiltskin had sent him after.

"Why, do you happen to have anything of value?"

"If I did, I wouldn't divulge that information to a known thief, would I?" Hook snapped, pressing his hook harder into Flynn's chest.

"Funny, coming from a pirate," Flynn retorted, turning his attention on Rapunzel, who was watching the exchange with both fear and fascination. "Who's your friend, Hook?"

Captain Hook glanced back at Rapunzel, that same look of familiarity, as if he recognized her, appearing before he shook it away.

"My name is Rapunzel," she answered when Hook said nothing.

"Gesundheit," Flynn and Hook replied simultaneously, sharing a brief look of mutual understanding before returning to glaring at each other.

"I'm just trying to get to the floating lights," Rapunzel said, ignoring them both.

"You mean the lantern thing they do for the princess?" Flynn asked curiously as Rapunzel's eyes grew wide.

"Lanterns! So that's what they are!" she exclaimed to herself before she paused, thinking. Suddenly, she stood up straight in an attempt to make herself as tall as possible, trying to sneer like she had seen her father do so many times when he wanted something from someone, and she pushed Hook's hook down by his side.

"Alright, Flynn Rider, I have a deal for you," she said confidently as Flynn sighed.

"Another deal?" he asked as Rapunzel lost her composure for a moment, confused at his words, before quickly snapping back into her best Rumplestiltskin impression.

"You will act as my guide, take me to these lanterns, and bring me back home, and I will see that you receive adequate payment."

Flynn started to open his mouth to respond, but several palace guards burst into the bar at that very second, scouring the bar for any sign of him.

"Rider HAS to be here. Check everywhere!" one of the guards urged.

Flynn seized Rapunzel by the hand and pulled her down behind the bar to hide. Suddenly, Hook reached down under the counter for Flynn, and for a moment, he froze in terror, but when he looked up, Hook pressed a lever behind the bar that opened a secret door in the floor leading down into a hidden underground tunnel. He gestured silently to the door as Flynn rolled his eyes.

"I've lived here all of my life, frequented this bar for years, and you show up out of the blue and suddenly have access to a secret tunnel I've never seen before," Flynn said, annoyed, rolling his eyes but crawling slowly towards the tunnel regardless. Just before he slid inside, however, Hook grasped his shirt.

"I'm feeling particularly gentlemanly today, so I'm letting you go. But…" he paused, pulling Flynn up so that their faces were within inches of each other, Hook's blue eyes dark slits. "You have to help her."

"What is she to you?" Flynn asked, appearing entirely unfazed by Hook's attempt at intimidation. Rather than supply an answer, Hook tightened his grip on Flynn, nearly tearing through his shirt. "Fine. I'll take her to the lanterns," he said as Hook smiled and released him to slide down into the tunnel, leaving Rapunzel beaming as she sat at the entrance to the tunnel.

"Why would you do that for me? You don't even know me," Rapunzel asked.

"You remind me of myself, some time ago. Willing to sacrifice anything for love," he answered, sadness in his words that she wished she could understand. She couldn't quite explain, but she felt drawn to this stranger…as if they were connected in some way.

"Thank you," she said, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek before she began to slide through the door after Flynn.

"Love?" he asked, pulling her back.

"Yes?"

"Who are your parents?"

"Well, I never met my mother. She died shortly after I was born."

Hook lowered his gaze to the floor as he recalled his own memory before looking up at her again, his eyes burning with anger now.

"And your father?"

"My father's name is Rumplestiltskin."

Hook's eyes widened for a moment as he opened his mouth to reply, but the guards' voices came closer and Rapunzel slid away into the darkness. A moment of internal conflict passed across Hook's dark expression before he sighed deeply, sadly, and closed the trap door.


	10. Chapter 10

**So this is the next chapter, everyone! I know that many of the details are similar/the same as the movie. But I just can't possibly change some of these scenes, as they're so vital to the storyline and so well-written and executed in the movie, but I've tried to put my spin on them so that they aren't exact carbon copies. As always, I'm totally open to what you all have to say!**

Rapunzel sat at the edge of the dock, her feet dangling over the edge, just above the water. The sound of footsteps approaching did not faze her as she continued to stare out at the harbor, her expression one of deep thought and overwhelming sadness.

"Fancy seeing you here, Love," Hook said as Rapunzel looked up at him standing over her, the same familiar smirk on his face as the moment they'd first met.

"Are you here to kill me or just to hold me as leverage so that you can kill Rumplestiltskin?" she asked, exhaustion apparent in her voice.

"Neither, unfortunately, though both ideas crossed my mind at one point in time. How much do you know?" he asked, unsurprised that she was so intuitive.

"I know that you said you had a dream once, and you said 'her.' And I know that it is your goal in life to kill him. So he must have had something to do with the loss of someone you loved," she explained as Hook looked out at the water without answering. "Well, killing me wouldn't do any good, anyway. Rumplestiltskin is incapable of loving anyone…least of all someone who he would steal from her real family. I just had something that he wanted." Her hands tightened into fists.

Hook paused for a moment, as if taking in what she had said, before his head snapped back down to look at her.

"You said he stole you from your…real…family?" he asked, choking out the last words.

"He kidnapped me at birth," Rapunzel explained without looking up at him. Suddenly, Hook turned on his heels and started running towards town. "Hey, where are you going? What's wrong?" she called after him, but he didn't reply, leaving Rapunzel sitting on the dock alone with more questions than answers.

Rapunzel practically skipped through the dark cave as Flynn shuffled along behind her, torch in hand and an expression on his face of utter indifference. Every few seconds, he cast his glance up at Rapunzel until finally, she looked back at him.

"So, Flynn…" she began, leaning in close to him with a smile. "Where are you from?"

"Sorry, Blondie, I don't do back-story, but yours seems like a tale worth telling. Here's my first question though: if it's your dream to see these lanterns, why haven't you gone before now?"

She stopped in her tracks, kicking nervously at several loose rocks on the cave floor.

"Oh. Well, uh…" she hesitated, but before she could say anything further, the ground beneath their feet began to tremble. As they turned to look back from where they'd come, they discovered that the guards were barreling towards them.

"Flynn," Rapunzel said, ever-increasing anxiety in her voice. "Flynn!"

Suddenly, Flynn grabbed Rapunzel's hand and pulled her in the opposite direction, the pair breaking out into a run and Rapunzel's hair flying out behind her like the never-ending tail of a kite. As they started to slow, their energy draining, they saw the light at the end of the tunnel. However, just before they reached it, a large pile of boulders fell on either side of them, trapping them in a small enclosure.

"What happened?" Rapunzel asked, panicked, as Flynn cried out in pain. When Rapunzel's eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see that one of the rocks had fallen on Flynn's foot, crushing it beneath the immense weight. He was sitting on the ground, his back against the rock wall around them and his hands tightened into fists. His face was twisted with pain, his eyes pinched tightly closed.

Rapunzel knelt down next to him, placing both of her hands on the boulder and managing to roll it off of his foot slowly as he let out a sharp cry before clamping his teeth down so hard on his lip that several drops of blood fell onto his shirt. She quickly rose to her feet again and began struggling to shift the rocks around them. When they didn't budge, she slammed her frying pan into the rock wall as hard as she could without success.

"It's no use," Flynn said softly, his hand reaching up and tugging at her arm weakly. "I can't see anything. No cracks, no light. We're trapped."

Rapunzel stopped, sliding down the wall until she was sitting on the ground, what limited view she had going blurry with tears.

"This is all my fault," she said between soft sobs. "He was right, I couldn't handle this. I'm so sorry for bringing you into this, Flynn." She buried her head in her hands. After a moment, she felt Flynn's hand reach out and slide a stray strand of hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear.

"Eugene," he muttered. Rapunzel wiped her eyes and looked over at him, his face so white that he was practically glowing in the near pitch-black darkness surrounding them.

"What?"

"My real name is Eugene Fitzherbert. If these are my last moments, someone might as well know." He shrugged with a weak attempt at a smile despite all of the pain that she knew he was in at that moment. Rapunzel tried to return his smile, tears still gleaming in her eyes.

"I have magic hair that glows," she admitted, feeling a sudden rush of relief that she'd never known in her entire life. To be able to admit her secret to someone who wasn't her father…regardless of how he would react to the news, just having the ability to say the words was a feeling unlike any other.

"What?" Flynn asked, his face draining of two more shades of color.

But Rapunzel didn't reply, as she was struck with a dawning realization of exactly what she'd just said. She closed her eyes tightly, focusing hard and hoping that her plan would work and knowing that it was her last chance…their last chance. Suddenly, her hair began to glow, the light starting at the roots and traveling down to the tips. Flynn, witnessing the magic first-hand, opened his mouth in shock, realizing in that moment what Rumplestiltskin meant when he said that gold was not the only treasure that shined. When the entire area was filled with light, Rapunzel started to search the wall for any signs of loose rocks or cracks. Flynn quickly joined her from his place on the ground, managing to locate several loose rocks and slowly, carefully pushing them out towards the edge of the cave just as the magic began to dwindle and the cave suddenly faded back to black.


	11. Chapter 11

**This is a short chapter, I know, but I promise I'll make it up to you in the next one. Take note that the asterisks mark the separation between one world and the next, aka Storybrooke and Corona/Fairy Tale Land. Enjoy!**

The door to Mr. Gold's shop slammed shut hard as Hook came storming in, ignoring the CLOSED sign and pounding his way towards the back when Gold was not out in the main shop area.

"Rapunzel?" Mr. Gold asked from behind the curtain just before Hook ripped the fabric from the wall, pinning Gold against the wall and pointing his hook straight at Gold's heart.

"Why does she look like her?" Hook growled. Mr. Gold appeared unfazed by this question, almost as if he had expected him to come.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he answered calmly.

Hook slammed his hook into the wall next to Gold's head, splintering the wood before pressing it against Gold's neck just enough not to pierce the skin.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Why…does she look…like her?" he snarled, an inhuman sound.

"Contrary to what you may have conjured up in your imagination, there was a time when Milah did love me," Gold replied, his tone still calm, collected, though Hook could hear the tension slowly building behind his words.

"And you had a son. Not a daughter," Hook corrected as the girl's face appeared at the front of his mind again, right next to Milah's.

"You may have won her heart with your promise of riches and adventure, but you knew nothing about her," Gold said, his lips curled and his teeth bared in a sneer that reminded Hook of his former crocodile appearance, causing him to press the hook even harder into his neck.

"Tell me what you know, Crocodile, or that little girl of yours will—"

"You won't kill her," he interrupted with a dark smile. "Not if you still believe that she is connected to Milah."

The Crocodile wasn't going to have the upper hand. Not in this. Not when it came to Milah's memory. Hook paused for a moment before a new plan seemed to manifest itself from the memories of what seemed like a past life.

"You're right," he said, that old familiar smirk returning to his face. "I won't kill her. But you of all people know that there are other ways that I can take what you love." Before Gold had a chance to say anything more, Hook released him, turned, and stormed out of the shop.

A hand suddenly burst through a rock wall on the outside of the cave, sending a landslide of rocks out onto a bed of grass. After several silent moments, both Rapunzel and Flynn emerged from beneath the rocks. Rapunzel stood up, a relieved smile on her face as Flynn struggled to pull himself to his feet only to collapse, grasping his injured foot. In the light, Rapunzel could see his face more clearly, and it was as if she could suddenly feel his pain. She'd only known this man for a short period of time – less than an hour – and yet she could already see straight through him…a vulnerability in him that lingered deep below his overconfident, arrogant exterior. And she longed to know more about him. But before she could do that, she had to help him.

"Your hair glows," he muttered, his eyes still wide with shock despite how stark white his face had gone already.

"Eugene," she said, though he couldn't seem to hear her.

"I didn't see that coming. Your hair actually glows," he said again, almost as if he were in a trance.

"Eugene," she urged, trying to get through to him.

"Why does your hair glow?!" he exclaimed as she knelt down, placing her face so close to his that they were nearly touching.

"EUGENE!" she yelled as he snapped back to reality, his eyes focusing on her.

"What?" he asked suddenly.

"It doesn't just glow," she said with a smirk, though his eyebrows furrowed with confusion and a hint of fear.


	12. Chapter 12

**Next chapter! Enjoy!**

A small campfire burned, the wood crackling softly as Rapunzel and Eugene sat on a nearby log, Rapunzel carefully wrapping her hair around Eugene's injured foot as gently as she could.

"I'm not entirely sure if the excruciating pain is clouding my sense of judgment, but the last time I checked, hair has nothing to do with foot injuries…regardless of whether it glows. Agh!" Eugene winced, pulling his foot back out of her grasp.

"Sorry," she said with a sympathetic grimace. "Just breathe and…try not to freak out." He met her eyes, lowered his gaze down to his foot, and then locked eyes with her again, nodding weakly.

Rapunzel closed her eyes, concentrating hard, as she had back in the cave. After a moment, her hair started to glow again, the beam of bright yellow light making its way slowly to Eugene's foot. He felt it almost immediately, the absence of the constant pain he'd felt since the injury had happened as a wave of relief washed over him. As the light faded away back to darkness, Rapunzel carefully unwrapped his foot and placed her hands around it, feeling for any sign of injury. Eugene stretched his toes and curled them in, rolling his ankle in a circle with shock and amazement.

"Incredible," he murmured softly as he stood up and placed his full weight on the formerly crushed foot.

"You're not…afraid?" Rapunzel asked, expecting him to flee in fear. Her father had convinced her that magic was both feared and coveted in their world, but there was no middle ground. Either she would be taken advantage of and used for her power or she would never meet a soul who didn't fear the power that she had.

"Afraid? The gift that you have…you're amazing," he said, his eyes meeting hers with a softness that surprised her.

"Not everyone thinks so. My father told me that when I was a baby, someone tried to cut it," she said, pulling back her long blonde strands to reveal the short brown piece that Rumplestiltskin cut, still just as short as it was the day that he cut it. "They wanted to take it for themselves. But once it's cut, it turns brown and loses its power. A gift like that…it has to be protected. That's why I never left my father's castle."

"Your father? You mean you're Rumplestiltskin's _daughter_?" Eugene asked.

"You know my father?" Rapunzel asked, confused.

"He, uh…has a reputation," he said nervously as Rapunzel nodded sadly, lowering her eyes to the ground. "So why DID you leave?" he asked after a moment of silence, a desperate attempt at changing the subject.

"I wanted to believe that I was strong enough to handle myself against all of the evil in the world. But after what happened today…maybe Papa was right," she said, her voice breaking as she hid her face in her hands. Eugene reached out as if to comfort her, but just before his hand touched her shoulder, he pulled it back. Rapunzel poked her head back out after a moment, masking her sadness with a smile, though he noticed that it didn't quite make it to her eyes.

"So…Eugene Fitzherbert?" she asked curiously.

"Uh, yeah," Eugene answered, a nervous smile playing at the corners of his lips. "I'll spare you the sob story of poor orphan Eugene Fitzherbert." Rapunzel, still smiling, slid closer to him on the log. Eugene sighed, running his fingers back through his hair, his smile growing wider. "There was this book. I used to read it every night to the younger kids – 'The Tales of Flynnigan Rider'. Swashbuckling rogue, richest man alive, not bad with the ladies either. Not that he would brag about it, of course."

"Was he a thief, too?" Rapunzel asked, watching as Eugene's smile faded ever so slightly.

"No. He was an honorable man, a hero. He had enough money to do anything that he wanted to do. He could go anywhere that he wanted to go. And for a kid with nothing…it just seemed like the better option." Rapunzel didn't reply, but she couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sadness for him. To not know his family, to be abandoned and left alone…she may not always have agreed with her father's choices for her life, but he was still her family. She still had someone in her life to be there for her, to guide her. Eugene had no one. "You can't tell anyone about this, okay?" Eugene interrupted her thoughts, pulling her back to reality. "It could ruin my whole reputation."

"Ah. We wouldn't want that," Rapunzel said, the sarcasm in her voice thick with a nearly undetectable hint of disappointment lingering beneath.

"Well, a fake reputation is all a man has," Eugene teased, and Rapunzel couldn't hold back a laugh. The second that their eyes met, Rapunzel felt a spark of electricity hanging in the air between them, Eugene's light brown eyes staring deeply into her ocean blues. However, after a moment, Eugene looked away, shaking his head and glancing around nervously. "Well, I should, um…I should get some more firewood." As he stood and started to walk away, still marveling at his healed foot, Rapunzel's voice pulled him back.

"Hey." He turned to look at her.

"For the record, I like Eugene Fitzherbert much better than Flynn Rider." Eugene smiled, glancing down at his foot.

"Well, then you'd be the first…but thank you."

He turned and walked into the forest, into a group of trees so thick that he could no longer see Rapunzel or the campfire. As he leaned down to gather several small pieces of wood lying on the ground, a shadow moved out of the corner of his eye. As he turned, his heart racing, a part of him already knew what he was going to find.

"I see you found my treasure."


	13. Chapter 13

**Next chapter! For those of you Captain Swan shippers out there who may be reading this, the interaction between Hook and Emma was my first indication that I was a CS shipper without even realizing it. I didn't plan on the two of them seeing each other at all, and then he literally ran into her, and that led me to join the tag on Tumblr, and the rest is history. So that was a tiny little detour from the story, but this was a big moment for me personally, and so I really have a personal attachment to this short little chapter. I hope you enjoy it!**

Hook had just left Gold's shop, still fuming from their encounter as he ran over the details in his head and still came up with no explanation for what he saw whenever he looked at the girl. She haunted him every day since he'd first laid eyes on her, since he'd watched her slide down that tunnel into darkness. He'd wondered how the ghost of Milah could have come back to haunt him without any prior warning. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he barely noticed when he knocked into someone else on the street, nearly knocking them to the ground. When he finally snapped back to reality, he instinctively reached out to balance the person only to find Emma Swan looking both startled and angry.

"What the hell are you doing here? And what the hell was that about?" she asked, her widened eyes narrowing into thin slits as she cast a dark glare at him.

"Sorry, Love. I don't have time for explanations," he said, voice low, and continued in his path down the street. However, Emma seized him by the arm, not forcing him to turn back to face her but just stopping him in his tracks.

"If you're going to stay here, you're going to abide by the law, and if the sheriff stops you for questioning, I would make the very strong suggestion that you stop and explain," she said. Hook, frustration growing, turned on his heels to face her, his entire body frozen the second that his face came within inches of hers. Their eyes locked for a moment before Emma took a step back, crossing her arms over her chest, one eyebrow raised in silent consideration and frustration as she waited for an explanation. Hook considered his words before his eyes lit up with sudden realization.

"Rumplestiltskin's daughter…what do you know about her?" he asked, hoping that this immediate and unexplainable understanding that the two had established could lead her to see the desperation that he was fighting so hard against.

"Not much. Your rampage is about her?" she asked curiously, any semblance of anger disappearing with her obvious need to know more about this girl as well.

"She looks…never mind," he interrupted himself, knowing that he had already revealed too much. This quest was his and his alone…just as the last 300 years had been and would continue to be. "I'm handling it." Emma looked up at him, her expression softening while remaining strong in the same moment.

"If Mr. Gold is up to something, maybe I can help you. But you have to trust me," she said in a low voice, as if the Crocodile had ears throughout the town.

"Like _you_ trusted _me_ up on the beanstalk?" he snapped, regretting his words the moment they'd left his lips. He could see the momentary flash of hurt cross her face before her mask snapped firmly back into place.

"That was different, and you know it. I was trying to protect my family," she replied as the anger that constantly boiled inside him reached the top and he leaned in closer to her, his expression dark.

"At least you have a family to protect," he growled, but rather than rage, he could hear an unexpected, hidden sadness reveal itself. Knowing that Emma could sense it, too, he left her no chance at a response as he turned and stormed away.


	14. Chapter 14

**Next chapter! This one was kinda difficult to write because I had to add the flashback in the middle that was not in the original script for the episode this is being converted from, so I hope that it makes sense. Enjoy everyone!**

Eugene stood frozen as Rumplestiltskin appeared mere feet from him. He immediately turned back, in the direction of the campfire and Rapunzel, but both were hidden from view by a thicket of trees.

"I know you have her, Dearie. Your poker face is…lacking," Rumplestiltskin said with a sneer that was made more terrifying by the darkness. Eugene sidestepped, placing himself more directly in the way of the path that would lead to Rapunzel.

"You said that you needed me to intercept her. Why?"

"Asking questions was not part of our deal. You were to return her to me. That's it," Rumplestiltskin answered with a gesture of his hand as if to cut Eugene off.

Suddenly, a realization came over Eugene that he couldn't believe he hadn't seen before. Throughout all of the time that he had worked for the imp…this villainous man who appeared to him in the forest one night, introduced himself as a dealmaker who would make it worth his while if he would procure rare items throughout the kingdoms, and seemed to know more about him than he had ever revealed to anyone…he felt as if he never had a choice in the matter.

_"No one steals from the citizens of Corona! We'll find you, sooner or later!" the head of a battalion of palace guards yelled into the darkness of the forest as the group turned their horses and retreated back towards the castle._

_ "Ha, it worked," Eugene whispered to himself as he hopped down from a nearby tree. He reached into his old, worn satchel and pulled out several slices of bread, apples, and a block of cheese. "My first successful plunder." He stuffed most of the food back into his satchel and started walking, burying his teeth into the apple and savoring every bite, the first thing he'd eaten in days._

_ The day that he turned 18, he was released from the orphanage…free to roam the countryside and pursue whatever course he wished. But without a connection, with no one to turn to, Eugene had decided long ago that the only future he had would be spent the only way he'd ever known…alone. His only dream…if you could call it that…was to acquire as much money as he could, find a deserted island, and make a relaxing life for himself. That's what Flynnigan Rider, the hero from his book – the book that sat at the bottom of his satchel, knocking against his leg as he walked – would do. And so that's what he would do. Eugene Fitzherbert was gone, and Flynn Rider had left the pages of his book and come to life._

_ "You'd need magic to bring the fictional to life, Dearie," a voice interrupted his thoughts as he stopped, spinning around to find the source until his eyes fell on a man…or rather what seemed to be a man, if he wasn't covered head to toe in shining scales._

_ "Who are you? What do you want?" Eugene asked, realizing too late that he had no weapon._

_ "The name's Rumplestiltskin," the stranger announced with a flourish of his hand. "And I'm here because you need my help." He smiled, though there was nothing joyous about the expression as Eugene fought the urge to shiver with fear._

_ "I don't need anyone's help," he snapped defiantly._

_ "And I suppose you know exactly how you're going to earn all of the riches you so desire?"_

_ "And you can offer me that?" Eugene asked._

_ "Of course. If you do something for me in return," he said with a soft giggle. Eugene didn't reply, so he continued. "I'm a collector of rare and valuable items, and if you can acquire them and bring them to me, I'll see to it that you receive adequate payment."_

_ "What's the catch?" Eugene asked, sensing something hidden behind his words._

_ "No catch. Unless you'd prefer to remain poor orphan Eugene Fitzherbert for the rest of your life, trapped in the shadow of a family you never knew," he said, his cackle growing louder and higher in pitch._

_ "How do you know my name?" Eugene asked defensively. "How do you know about me?"_

_ "Names are power, Dearie. Now…do we have a deal?" he asked, holding out his hand, his claw-like fingers outstretched. Knowing that this was the only way that he could escape his past and start his future, Eugene reached out and shook Rumplestiltskin's hand._

"You were keeping her from leaving. She never had a choice," Eugene said, remembering that night 8 years ago as clearly as if it were happening over again before his eyes.

Rumplestiltskin's dark grin transformed into a scowl as he took a step forward, his eyes drifting from the thicket of trees back to Eugene.

"She had a choice…a choice to stay with me. And she made the wrong choice. Just like her—"

"She chose her dreams," Eugene interrupted. "I don't want whatever payment you're planning on offering. Her freedom is worth more than this job." He stood as tall as he could, his expression hard and unwavering despite the fear twisting his stomach into knots. Rumplestiltskin's smile returned, wider and darker, as if he expected Eugene's defiance.

"You have feelings for her," he stated, uttering a high-pitched giggle before hardening his expression and seizing hold of Eugene's shirt. He forced him against a nearby tree. "Unfortunately for you, Dearie, you made a deal to work for me. And no one breaks my deals. Unless you'd rather she spend the rest of her life in chains. Now go. Play along with her little adventure. I'll be in contact with you again soon." He released him, and Eugene, fearful not for himself but for Rapunzel and her safety, turned to go without another word. "Just one more thing," Rumplestiltskin added, forcing Eugene to turn back around. "Eventually, she'll learn the truth about you and your…association…with me. And she'll hate you for it."

Rumplestiltskin's eyes reflected a deep sadness buried within him, but Eugene, lost in his own thoughts, merely sighed and leaned down to pick up the firewood. He nodded at Rumplestiltskin and walked back through the trees. When he reached the campfire, he laid the firewood down next to the fire and sat on the log with another deep sigh, running his fingers back through his hair. Rapunzel cast a worried glance at him.

"Hey, you all right?" she asked as Eugene fought the urge to grimace, leaving his thoughts and returning to reality, a feigned smile twisting across his face.

"Oh! Sorry, yes. Just, um, lost in thought, I guess," he said without looking at her.

Rapunzel considered his words for a moment, unconvinced, before shaking her head and scooting closer to him on the log. Nearby, Rumplestiltskin lingered in the shadows, watching with a smile on his face.


	15. Chapter 15

**Another chapter update! This ended up being long, but I just couldn't cut Rapunzel and Eugene's day in Corona into more than one chapter. There is a lot of new material in this that I didn't write in the original television episode version of this, but I'm so happy with how it turned out! I really wanted to give life to all of those little moments we see during the Kingdom Dance scene in Tangled, and I hope that I did them justice. Enjoy, readers!**

Rapunzel slept soundly on the ground, her hair wrapped tightly around her like a blanket, as Eugene laid nearby, eyes wide open, unable to sleep for even a moment with the fear of Rumplestiltskin's master plan looming over him. Suddenly, Rapunzel's eyes shot open, a wide smile already forming on her face, and she sat up straight. She quickly hopped up and ran over to shake Eugene, who pretended to wake from a deep sleep, returning her smile as best he could. The two walked through a patch of trees nearby and out into the open where the kingdom of Corona was laid out before them.

Before Eugene could turn to see the excitement that he knew he'd find on Rapunzel's face, she was gone, all but sprinting over the bridge that led into the village. He had almost caught up with her, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he struggled to breathe normally, when Rapunzel was stopped in her tracks by various villagers stepping on her hair. Eugene immediately picked up his pace, gathering up as much of Rapunzel's hair as he could hold in his arms before he was struck with an idea. He quickly led her away from the hustle and bustle to the crowd and over to a nearby fountain.

"Sit down," he instructed. Rapunzel, though obviously confused, did as he said. Eugene then worked quickly to lay her hair out behind her, dividing it into strands, and creating a thick braid layered with smaller, more intricate braids. When he was finished, Rapunzel stood and spun around, her eyes full of shock and joy.

"How did you…?" she asked, shocked when she finally turned to meet Eugene's gaze.

"We didn't get a lot of hair cuts at the orphanage. The little girls…I had to learn…" he trailed off, lowering his head as he felt his cheeks burn red with embarrassment. Rapunzel tipped his chin back up so that he had to meet her eyes.

"I love it. Thank you," she said softly as Eugene nodded.

"Come on!" Rapunzel exclaimed, pulling him from his thoughts as she literally pulled him through the crowd.

When they reached the main square lined with booths selling everything from flags bearing the seal of the kingdom to various foods, Rapunzel caught sight of a mural on a large wall just outside the castle depicting the King and Queen holding her just after she was born…the day of the first lantern celebration, just before she was taken. She stared in amazement at the baby's bright green eyes, her long blonde hair, recognizing something familiar.

"It's for the lost princess," Eugene said, noticing her focus on the mural.

"Lost?" Rapunzel asked curiously, without tearing her eyes from the wall.

"She was kidnapped…taken in the night right after she was born. She's been missing for years. The lanterns are for her…a beacon to her that the kingdom is still hoping that one day she'll return. That we haven't forgotten or abandoned her," he explained, glancing up at the mural and back at Rapunzel curiously before he saw her shake her head, as if clearing her thoughts, and finally shift her gaze over to a little boy who was selling kingdom flags. Eugene tossed the boy a coin and retrieved a flag from him, handing it to Rapunzel, who held it up and examined it with a sly grin before tugging Eugene to an area of the square where children were drawing on the brick ground with chalk. Rapunzel grabbed several pieces of varying colors and went to work, creating a mural of her very own that depicted people of the village, who stood nearby, all surrounding the sun symbol of the kingdom flag.

"Wow," Eugene said when Rapunzel stood back to admire her masterpiece. "You never mentioned that you're an artist."

"I needed something to occupy my time. And now I love it. I usually paint, though," she said as Eugene looked down at the small purple and yellow flag in his hand and back to Rapunzel's mural, an exact replica…with embellishments.

"It's incredible. Really," he said softly, glancing over at her as she blushed at his compliment.

"What should we do now?" Rapunzel asked, spinning around to take in the view of the entire square. Eugene followed suit, quickly taking notice of the guards that had just entered the square to join in on the celebrations.

"Hide!" Eugene whispered, taking Rapunzel's chalk-covered hand and pulling her along behind him as he searched for anywhere that he could avoid being seen. He quickly stepped up to the first booth without a line, leaning over to pretend to examine what the lady behind the table happened to be selling, and upon seeing what it was, couldn't help but smile and purchase one for himself and for Rapunzel. "Let's go," he said softly, grasping Rapunzel's hand without turning around and leading her into an abandoned alley nearby. Once they were tucked into an empty doorway and safely out of view, he handed her the pink cupcake, watching as her surprised and somewhat fearful expression shifted back into a bright smile.

"Thank you!" she whispered as they both bit into their cupcakes, finishing them in a matter of seconds and savoring every single delicious bite. When their eyes met again, Rapunzel burst into a loud fit of laughter at the sight of the icing just above Eugene's lip, giving him a mustache.

"What?" he asked as she reached up and wiped the icing away, watching as Eugene's cheeks burned bright red for the second time that day. When another pair of guards walked past, however, they both immediately sobered, ducking back out of view and pressing themselves against the wooden door as tightly as they could.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize…" Rapunzel trailed off, unsure of what else to say.

"Don't be," Eugene answered, turning and glancing around the corner as the guards walked off in the opposite direction. When he was sure they were gone, he turned back to Rapunzel, giving her a reassuring smile. "Let's go," he said, holding out his hand for her.

"Where are we going?" she asked curiously.

"Trust me," he said, hoping that his hunch was right as Rapunzel took his hand and he led her down the alley, away from the square, and into a building around the corner.

"Wow," Rapunzel whispered the second that they were inside. "It's incredible."

She'd never seen so many books. She knew that her father's castle had a library, but like her tower, it remained locked, closed off from the rest of the world. She could see it through her window, the wall of books, but the one time she'd asked about it, her father had forbidden from inquiring about it again, saying that the books that she had were all that she needed. But after reading the same books constantly for 18 years, she longed to know what other stories might be waiting out there for her to discover.

"I hoped that you would like it," Eugene said, sensing her excitement and sighing with relief.

"Can I?" she asked, glancing at shelf after shelf of books scaling all four walls that surrounded her.

"Be my guest," he said with a small grin and a bow as Rapunzel flew to every shelf, tearing books off of the walls and assembling a towering pile in the floor.

She skimmed through countless books until a book of maps showing several of the surrounding kingdoms and the territories caught her attention.

"There's an entire world out there that I haven't seen," she said in a combination of sadness and exhilaration.

"Other realms, too. Whole other lands that we don't even know exist. And you can see them all," Eugene promised, knowing that he would do whatever it took to ensure that she never had to return to that tower again. Rapunzel did not reply, sighing deeply as she closed the book and pulled Eugene outside, where a band of musicians had just started playing.

Her expression brightening again, Rapunzel began to dance in the center of the square, pulling several surrounding townspeople in to join her. Before Eugene realized it, nearly everyone in the square was participating in the dance, but he only had eyes for Rapunzel as she spun and hopped and shifted from partner to partner flawlessly as the crowd grew. She reached out for him as he shook his head, but it seemed he had no choice as a local townsperson bumped him into the group and he was caught in the whirlwind of dancers. No matter what partner he had, he couldn't help but search out the crowd for Rapunzel, offering his hand to her as she made for him only for both to be pulled in the opposite direction just before they reached each other. Suddenly, they both were spinning, and at the very last beat of the song, they ended in each other's arms, eyes meeting for a long silent moment before they realized that the music had stopped, and they had to separate.

"To the boats!" one villager yelled over the crowd as everyone dispersed to their desired location for viewing the lanterns.

"You trust me, right?" Eugene asked, holding out his hand once again. Rapunzel's eyes met his, and for the first time in either of their lives, they both understood what it meant to have complete faith in another person.

"I trust you," she answered, taking Eugene's hand and following him down to the docks.


	16. Chapter 16

**Next chapter up! The famous lantern scene! I feel like the movie certainly made this scene iconic in a way that I could never possibly recreate in words, so please go and watch it. It's my personal favorite scene in any Disney movie. As far as what's coming next, I have to warn you the Chapter 17 is going to be divided into two parts...and part one is a lot shorter than you're accustomed to...but it will be worth it in the end. So get ready now! As always, I really appreciate your feedback and all of the people who continue to stick with me and this fic!**

"Where are we going?" Rapunzel asked curiously as she stepped off of the dock and into a boat.

The sun had just dipped below the horizon, casting the kingdom into darkness lit only by the stars that sparkled above them. Eugene produced an oar from the bottom of the boat and began to maneuver away from the dock and out to the center of the bay surrounding the castle. Rapunzel turned to see that several large ships also sat in the bay some ways away, each deck full of townspeople.

"Best day of your life? I figured you should have a decent seat," Eugene said with a smile as he steered the boat out to what he deemed the perfect spot, the castle looming over them, casting a large shadow over the bay. Rapunzel gazed into the water, a sense of doubt creeping into her thoughts along with a startling mental image of her father. What if, after all of the incredible things she had seen and experienced, he was still right? She sighed deeply, plunging her hand into the water to interrupt her reflection at the surface.

"You okay?" Eugene asked, casting a concerned glance her way.

"I'm terrified," she admitted softly.

"Why?" he asked, confused.

"I've been looking out a window for so long, dreaming about what it might be like when those lights rise in the sky. What if it's not everything I dreamed it would be?" She turned to Eugene, who smiled reassuringly.

"It will be," he promised.

"And what if it is? What do I do then?" she asked, knowing that sooner or later, she would have to return to her father's castle. She had nowhere else to go. No one else to turn to. Unless that gleam that she saw when she looked into Eugene's eyes meant that he had begun to feel something for her, just as she had for him. She'd never felt this way before. The rapid beating of her heart every time their eyes met, the sudden loss of the ability to breathe, the flutter in her stomach. She barely knew him, and she was certainly no expert when it came to love, but it was as if Eugene filled a void within her heart that she never realized was empty.

"That's the good part, I guess. You get to go find a new dream," Eugene interrupted her thoughts, his smile growing.

Before either of them had a chance to say anything more, a small flicker of light appeared over the castle. Rapunzel's eyes shot up to the sky as the first lantern rose higher and higher. She nearly flipped the boat as she dashed to the other side to get a better look, sending Eugene flying backwards. She continued to watch intently, absolute wonder in her eyes as thousands more lanterns slowly ascended into the sky, filling the space in the air around them with light. She clung to the side of the boat, smiling with both relief and overwhelming joy. But after a moment, she noticed a brighter light directly behind her. She turned to see Eugene holding two lit lanterns he'd purchased earlier in the day and hidden from her as a surprise.

She sat down to face him as he handed one of the lanterns to her, and together, they sent them both into the night sky to join with the others, their lanterns spinning around each other as they climbed. Without hesitation, Eugene reached out and took Rapunzel's hand, unable to fight his own heart any longer. He knew that at any moment, she could be taken from him. Taken by a man too powerful to fight. But if it were to come to that…if he had to fight Rumplestiltskin…to die for Rapunzel to be free, he'd do it.

Because Rumplestiltskin had been right all along. Eugene had just walked into the Snuggly Duckling for a quick drink and some down time as he mulled over where to start searching for this traveling treasure he'd been sent after, but the second that his eyes had met hers, he knew that she was different. He had experienced his share of affection from women throughout his life, but not once had he ever considered revealing his true identity to them…his past. And he'd certainly never felt with them the way that he felt with Rapunzel. It was as if she had awakened a part of him that he'd long since forgotten...she saw in him the kind of man that he wanted to be before life got in the way. She saw Eugene Fitzherbert beneath Flynn Rider. And without knowing it, she had shown him what it felt like to be loved.

Lights rising and falling around them, Eugene and Rapunzel leaned forward and began to close their eyes, preparing for their lips to meet for the first time. But at the last second, Eugene looked up, past Rapunzel, to see a light on the shore held by Rumplestiltskin, who stood waiting.


	17. Chapter 17 Part 1

**I warned you that this was going to be a lot shorter than you are accustomed to! I'm sure a lot of you hate me for it, haha, but I promise that you'll understand why in the coming section. Let me know what you think!**

Mr. Gold stood on the shore, watching as the lanterns rose in the sky over Storybrooke. He could just barely hear the voices of various townspeople sitting together in the park nearby. Rapunzel hadn't moved from her place at the end of the dock, looking up at the sky with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Mr. Gold said softly, knowing that he was close enough for Rapunzel to hear. When she didn't reply, he continued. "I _do_ love you, and I _was_ trying to protect you. But back then…I could only see the possibility for vengeance."

She turned to look at him then, a mixture of confusion and anger filling her green eyes.

"How could my kidnap be vengeance for you?"

Gold sighed, ran his fingers back through his hair, and turned to meet her gaze for the first time. He was in no way prepared for what he was about to say, nor would he ever be ready to admit what he'd done, but he knew that no matter what had happened in the past, no matter who this would affect, it was the right choice to make.

"There's something that you need to know about your parents, Rapunzel," he finally said.

"They've been dead for hundreds of years. What could you possibly have to say that would matter now?" she growled.

"You're not who you think you are."


	18. Chapter 17 Part 2

**So I decided not to torture you any longer and am posting the second part of Chapter 17. Before you go all crazy on me about a certain detail in the story, I know that it may seem like I'm kinda grasping at straws, but I wanted to change it up from the original story and yes, I did do my research to make sure it's actually possible, though it's the Enchanted Forest, so anything is possible right? (You'll know what I'm talking about when you get to that part) Enjoy! And after reading, prepare yourself because the upcoming chapter is a tiny little whirlwind! At least in my opinion! And it's my favorite chapter of all of them!**

The boat drifted to shore as Eugene hopped out, helped Rapunzel out, and ensured that it was secured on the sand without uttering a word.

"Is something wrong?" Rapunzel asked, concern obvious in her eyes. Eugene didn't answer…couldn't answer…as he pulled her towards the forest, away from the bay, picking up speed before Rumplestiltskin suddenly stepped into their path. Eugene pushed Rapunzel behind him, taking several steps backwards and serving as a shield between her and Rumplestiltskin.

"Papa?" Rapunzel asked, peeking over Eugene's shoulder, her green eyes filling with shock and fear.

"Yes, Dearie. Here to prove my point," he said as he turned his eyes on Eugene. "Go ahead and tell her. I'm not the only beast in this fairy tale."

Rapunzel looked at Eugene, confusion in her eyes now. He turned around to face her, taking her hand and drawing in a shaky, deep breath.

"I'm not who you think I am…" he trailed off before adding, darkly, "…but neither are you."

"What do you mean?" Rapunzel asked.

"From the moment that I got out of the orphanage, I was Flynn Rider. I was a thief because I thought it was my only option, and my dream was to be rich and live on an island surrounded by all the money in the world. And I came to work for someone who paid me to procure certain valuable items for him. Your father." Rapunzel's gaze snapped from Eugene to Rumplestiltskin and back. "Just yesterday, I was on my way to his castle to deliver a crown that I took from the kingdom, and he sent me on another mission…to find a treasure that he said was more valuable than gold but shined just the same. And when I saw your hair glow, I knew that treasure was you." He could see the tears beginning to form in her eyes as she realized his betrayal, and he could feel his heart breaking. "It took until now for me to realize why you were so valuable to him. You're the lost princess of Corona that went missing hundreds of years ago. Rapunzel, you're the reason that they raise the lanterns into the sky." Rapunzel's eyes widened, but not with shock as much as with realization…the realization of something that she'd known deep down for a lifetime but couldn't believe.

"You're smarter than you look, Dearie," Rumplestiltskin broke the silence. "Well, let's cut straight to the happy ending, shall we? Ah, but wait…" He pulled his dagger from his coat and drove it straight into Eugene's side. Eugene immediately fell to the ground, his hand pressed tightly over the wound and his face twisted with pain. Rapunzel started towards him but was suddenly unable to move any further as Rumplestiltskin barred her path with a barrier spell. "I told you that the world was dark and selfish and cruel. And now you see the truth, Darling."

"I see the truth just perfectly," she snapped, continuing to fight the invisible barrier with all of her strength. "How dare you?"

"Everything that I did was to protect you," he replied, baring his teeth in a sneer.

"I've spent my entire life hiding from the world because it would use me for my power…when I should have been hiding from you! I was just another treasure for your collection," she yelled.

"Where will you go now? To him? He's fading fast, Dearie. And he's living proof that you can't trust anyone. Besides…" he trailed off, conjuring a set of chains that wrapped around Rapunzel's hands and feet. "…these are the consequences of his actions."

Rapunzel turned her tear-filled eyes back to Eugene, who was growing weaker by the minute, his face contorted with pain. She stood up as straight as she could, speaking with as strong a voice as possible.

"Then I propose a new deal." Rumplestiltskin appeared surprised, yet intrigued.

"Your terms?"

"Let me save him, and I will go with you," she promised.

"No!" Eugene said feebly.

"You and I will be together, just like you want. Everything will be the way it was." Rumplestiltskin stepped closer to her, trying to read her expression for any sign that she was lying.

"You would save him, after he betrayed you?" he asked, obvious curiosity breaking through his voice. She didn't reply, her eyes locked on Eugene before she turned to look directly at Rumplestiltskin, her green eyes so dark that they appeared black. "Deal," Rumplestiltskin said.

He released Rapunzel's chains and instead conjured a set of chains that wrapped around Eugene's wrists and connected to a nearby tree. He sat Eugene up against the tree and released the barrier spell as Rapunzel ran to his side, falling to her knees next to him.

"Eugene!" she exclaimed, pulling back his hand to reveal a significant amount of blood staining his vest and shirt. "Everything is going to be okay—"

"No, Rapunzel," he stopped her, making a weak attempt at pushing her hand away.

"You have to trust me—"

"I can't let you do this," he said softly.

"And I can't let you die," she replied, voice breaking as tears began to stream down her cheeks

"But if you do this…then you will die. You're worth so much more than just your power."

Rapunzel placed a long strand of her hair over his wound and closed her eyes, but Eugene interrupted her focus.

"Rapunzel, wait…"

He reached his hand up weakly, leaning up as if to kiss her when suddenly he sliced through her hair with a rock he'd picked up off of the ground. Her excess hair immediately fell away, every strand turning to dark brown. Rapunzel grasped at the short hair in shock and fear, while Rumplestiltskin appeared as calm as ever, as if he'd seen this moment before it happened.

"You have no idea what you've done, Dearie," Rumplestiltskin said softly.

"No, no, no, stay with me Eugene," Rapunzel said as she turned to see Eugene's hand fall limply to the ground. Panicking, she placed his hand in what was left of her hair, closing her eyes and concentrating hard, but nothing happened.

"Rapunzel," Eugene said weakly.

"What?" she cried.

"You were my new dream."

"And you were mine," she replied with a soft sob, holding him in her arms as he let out his last breath. A single tear dropped onto his cheek before Rumplestiltskin pulled her up to stand.

"I let you try. His sacrifice changed the terms of my end of the deal…but not yours, Darling," Rumplestiltskin said. She looked up at him, her eyes red and still filled with tears, but empty of whatever fight she may have had left as she allowed him to lead her off into the darkness.


	19. Chapter 18

**All right, readers, this is my FAVORITE chapter! I sort of just sat down and converted this from script to an actual chapter in a whirlwind tonight, so I may go back and change it once the excitement has worn off, or I may not because I'm actually quite excited with how it turned out. But just because it's my favorite doesn't mean it's the end! There is more to come! I really hope you like it because this is where the big moment happens, so sit back and enjoy!**

Rapunzel jumped down from the dock, her bare feet landing in the sand just as the tide washed up over them, and walked closer to Mr. Gold, eyeing him with both suspicion and curiosity.

"What do you mean, I'm not who I think I am?" she asked.

"He's talking about your mother," another voice joined the conversation before Gold could utter a word. Rapunzel spun around to find this new voice, confusion twisting her facial features.

"What do you know about my mother?" she asked with a hint of hesitation, as if she were better off never knowing what she imagined would be a painful truth.

"A great deal more than you can imagine," Hook answered softly, his blue eyes filled with a deep and overwhelming sadness before some invisible barrier between himself and his emotions snapped back into place and he turned his glaring gaze towards Gold. "What I can't figure out, though, is the rest of the story." There was no question in his words…no request for information. He was demanding it. Mr. Gold, however, appeared entirely unfazed by Hook's sudden presence in a place where he shouldn't have belonged.

"Your mother's name was Milah," Mr. Gold explained after inhaling a deep breath slowly through his nose. His eyes remained locked on Rapunzel as he temporarily ignored Hook. "She was my wife, and the mother of my son. She left us, abandoned us when Baelfire was young to go gallivanting off with…Killian Jones." He said the name like it was poison in his mouth, looking Hook up and down, from head to toe, his eyes dark. "Over a decade later, I heard rumors of a woman matching Milah's description turning up in the kingdom of Corona, so I journeyed there and I learned of a baby girl that had just been born of a king and queen who were unable to have children. Further discovery proved that Milah had indeed been the mother of the child and had left the baby with her estranged sister, the queen."

Hook's eyes grew wide with realization as he staggered back several steps, reaching out to steady himself on a sign stuck into the stand. He didn't blink even for a moment as he gazed at Rapunzel, a breathtaking new emotion in his eyes that was entirely unrecognizable. It was almost as if he was seeing her for the first time.

"One day, she left," Hook took it upon himself to continue where Gold's story left off, his words sounding so far away that he could hardly believe it was his own voice speaking. "She was gone for several months. She said that there was something that she had to take care of alone, and that I shouldn't worry. I trusted her, so I let her go. The day that she returned was the day before she…" he trailed off, casting his eyes down to his hook and up at Mr. Gold.

"She loved you…and you loved her. She was the dream that you lost," Rapunzel said, filling in the blanks left after her first encounter with the captain. To answer her, Hook rolled up his sleeve to reveal the tattoo of the heart and Milah's name on his arm. She stood silent for a moment, her mind finally reaching the end of the story…and why Hook was suddenly looking at her as if he'd never seen anything quite like her in his life. "So, that means that I'm—" she stopped, casting a glance between the two men who had come to play such monumental roles in her life, even if she didn't know it until this very moment.

"—my daughter. Mine and Milah's," Hook finished her statement, the words just as foreign leaving his lips as they sounded in Rapunzel's thoughts. Nevertheless, her heart seemed ready to explode with her newfound knowledge. For her entire life, she'd believed that she belonged somewhere else…that she was meant to be someone else. And in one moment, everything she'd known for the centuries she'd been alive was turned upside down. There was the man who raised her, who seemed to love her in the only way that he knew how…the wrong way…and there were the parents she never knew, who weren't even her parents at all but her aunt and uncle, celebrating the very short time they had been given with her for hundreds of years…and there were her real parents…her mother, Milah, gone before she ever had the chance to know her, who gave her away…and her father, Killian…who sent her in the direction of her lifelong dream before he even knew who she was…and whose sudden unconditional love for her filled an emptiness inside her she thought would remain vacant for her entire life.

Killian, meanwhile, hesitated as he closed the remaining distance between himself and his…his daughter. He didn't know how he felt, truly. In honesty, he hadn't ever _felt_ this much in all his years. He was overcome with a spectrum of emotions that he knew he would have to sort through one by one as they separated themselves in his mind and heart. But in this moment, coming to the stunning realization that he had known all along, somewhere deep inside him, that this girl was more to him than just a resemblance to the woman he loved and lost, the only discernible emotion he could feel was love. The kind of love that changed his entire world in a single moment. He had been alone for so long that the thought of having anyone in his life had long since gone. But here she was…a manifestation of the love that he and Milah had shared, looking back at him with the same whirlwind of emotion in her deep blue eyes and bringing another startling realization to the forefront of his thoughts. A recognition he had failed to place before, in what seemed like a different life.

"You look so much like her. That day in the bar, I thought I was seeing a ghost," he explained as he cautiously reached his hand out, finally letting it rest on her cheek when she didn't back away from his touch. "You're beautiful, like she was. But you have my eyes."

It was true, they both realized in the same moment. The familiarity they found in each other came not just emotionally, from the bond between father and daughter, but physically, in their eyes. The same striking shade of blue, putting even the ocean to shame.

Placing her hand over his and smiling brilliantly, Rapunzel's eyes began to fill with tears of joy as she closed the careful distance between them, wrapping her arms tightly around Killian who, taken aback for a moment, tightened his arms around her as well. Several silent moments passed, with no words perfect enough to say all that needed to be said, before Killian pulled back and met her eyes again, the widest and brightest of smiles on a face that had seen only darkness and pain for so long.

"I actually have something to show you," he said, realizing what he had come to do before he'd walked in on the conversation of a lifetime. Rapunzel smiled, though she appeared confused.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Come with me," he said, holding out his hand. Without a moment's hesitation, Rapunzel placed her hand in his and followed him up the beach towards town before quickly spinning back around.

"But what about-?" she asked, searching the area for any sign of Mr. Gold, whose presence had been entirely forgotten, though he seemed to have disappeared. Killian turned in a circle, his eyes darkening for just a moment as he searched as well and found nothing.

"I'll deal with the Crocodile later. Right now is about you," he said softly, replacing that smile that he couldn't seem to control if he'd wanted to and leading his daughter up to the street and off into the night.

**So there ya go! The reason why in this story, Rapunzel's eyes are blue. The reason why she looked like Milah. The reason why Emma saw something familiar in Rapunzel's eyes at the very beginning of the story. The reason why Killian helped Rapunzel in the bar...and the reason why Rapunzel felt drawn to him in that same moment. All of these instances were leading up to this very moment. And just a random trivia fact for all you readers: this was not how the story was supposed to go when I first wrote it as an episode in script form. Rapunzel was just going to be the lost princess, like normal, and then all of a sudden during the bar scene, Killian invited himself into the story and became her biological father. Extremely complicated not only to write but to wrap my mind around, but I love that this is how it happened. Please please please let me know what you think!**


	20. Chapter 19

**Hello, my lovely loyal readers! Sorry that this took so long! I've been so busy with work that I just couldn't find the time or the inspiration, but I finally found some tonight! I hope that you're enjoying reading this fic as much as I enjoy writing it. I absolutely love this story, and basically, I plan on continuing to write as long as you continue to read and maybe even after that, lol. The original episode that this fic came from does have an end coming soon, but I have so many more ideas and ways that I could develop this story throughout the remainder of the second season where it's set that I'd really love to keep writing and I'd like to hear what you guys think about that idea. I can't wait to hear from you!**

"What are we doing here?" Rapunzel asked as Killian pulled her to a stop outside a closed door at the end of a seemingly abandoned hallway in the hospital.

"Just trust me," he urged her, his blue eyes bright with anticipation as he slowly opened the door, gesturing for her to lead the way into the dark room. Taking a deep breath and having no idea what could possibly await her, Rapunzel reluctantly walked inside, turning a corner and gasping as her eyes immediately filled with tears.

Lying in a bed, eyes closed, was Eugene. His chest rose and fell in a constant rhythm, but the heart monitor next his bed showed no rhythm…no signs of life at all. Rapunzel remained frozen, unsure what to do or think, as her father stepped up next to her and without thinking she reached out for his hand. Taken a bit by surprise, Killian looked down at his daughter's hand in his before he squeezed it tightly.

"He has no pulse. His heart isn't beating, but he's still breathing. No one has an explanation other than…magic," Killian explained softly, feeling Rapunzel turn to look at him as their eyes came to adjust to the darkness of the room.

"But he was gone," Rapunzel said, voice nearly breaking. Killian felt a sudden tight grip on his heart at the mere thought of the pain that Rapunzel felt in the moment that she lost the man that she loved. "How did this happen? Who brought him here?" she asked moments later, temporarily distracting him from his own thoughts.

"I did," a voice said from the doorway as they both turned to see exactly who they both expected to find.

The moon rose high in a night sky that had since become empty again, all the lanterns gone after the passing of another year. Eugene's lifeless body lay next to the tree where he was left behind. Rumplestiltskin walked out of the shadows, alone, and waved his hand over Eugene's stab wound so that it sealed, but he still showed no signs of life. Rumplestiltskin then lifted his body up, swinging it over his shoulder and carrying it off into the night.

Killian released Rapunzel's hand, storming forward towards Gold, but Rapunzel quickly placed herself between them, pressing her hands against Killian's chest to keep him from advancing.

"I need him to explain," she pleaded with her father, her blue eyes desperate. After a moment, Hook took a step back, his hand still tightened into a fist at his side.

"This doesn't change anything," he said softly, voice low and dark.

"I know," Rapunzel answered simply before she turned to face Mr. Gold, who began to explain immediately, as if he'd only been waiting for their full attention.

"I healed his wound that night. I took you to the castle, and I went back for him. But I could only heal a part of him. I couldn't heal his heart. Only you can do that."

Rapunzel's eyes filled with temporary hope before she came to a devastating realization and tears slowly fell down her cheeks. As Killian watched from the other side of the room, it took everything in him not to kill the Crocodile right then and there.

"But my magic is gone," Rapunzel said, glancing over at the heart monitor screen.

"The magic is within you, Rapunzel. Your hair was just the outlet. You have to find a new way to channel it. But you have to believe that you can," Gold said softly.

Taking a shaky breath in, Rapunzel turned and walked over next to Eugene's bed. She reached out and took his hand in hers, fighting back more tears at the lack of warmth she found there and closing her eyes. For several moments, nothing happened, the sound of Eugene's shallow breaths the only sound in the room. She closed her eyes even tighter, squeezing his hand hard, when suddenly the same glow that once came from her hair began to emanate from her hands. The glow flowed up Eugene's hand and into his chest, glowing the brightest over his heart. Rapunzel watched with tear-filled eyes as the light grew brighter and brighter, finally dissipating as the heart monitor began to beep and Eugene opened his eyes. His shocked, confused gaze immediately fell on Rapunzel as his eyes adjusted to the darkness.

"Rapunzel?" he asked quietly, as if he couldn't believe what he saw.

"Eugene?" Rapunzel asked, the same tone of disbelief in her voice.

"Did I ever tell you I have a thing for brunettes?" he asked teasingly, his voice weak but his brown eyes bright.

Rapunzel smiled, tears streaming down her cheeks as she leaned over and he pulled her into an embrace, his arms tight around her as he buried his head in her shoulder. After a moment, she pulled back, met his gaze, and crushed her lips against his. Taken aback, Eugene composed himself after a moment, tangling his hand in her hair and pressing his lips even tighter against hers.

With smiles on their faces, Killian and Mr. Gold watched the scene play out before them, until each remembered the other's presence in the room, and Killian immediately stormed over, grasping Gold's shirt and pulling him outside.

Once in the hallway, Killian shoved Gold against the wall, the dull end of his hook pressing hard into his shoulder.

"Well, isn't this familiar," Gold observed as Killian pressed hard enough to illicit a wince from the Crocodile.

"What you didn't doesn't change what happened between us. You murdered my love and kept my daughter from me. But today isn't the day for revenge. Just know, Crocodile, that I'm still coming for you," he growled as Gold smiled, leaning in closer.

"I'll be waiting," he answered with a sneer, pushing Killian back and disappearing down the hallway.


	21. Chapter 21

**I know this is short, but the interactions coming up in the next chapter *should* make it fairly long if I don't decide to split it into two, so I wanted to give you all this so you don't think that I've abandoned you! I still have soo many plans for this fic. In this particular chapter, I focused on Rumplestiltskin and his point of view...I didn't want to dive too deep into his thoughts because even I'm not sure how to cover all of the different things he's thinking, so I made it brief but hopefully enough for you all to get a glimpse into his mind. As always, I look forward to your reviews!**

The next morning, Mr. Gold dozed at a table at the back of his shop. Sleep had eluded him throughout the night, as his thoughts were full of Rapunzel, the daughter he had raised and lost just as he had his son. He had to face the fact that the blame rested with him once more. He had stolen the girl out of anger, knowing that one day Milah would come back for her, just as he was certain she had planned on returning for Bae. She didn't deserve to be a mother, but did he deserve to be a father?

And then there was the matter of Hook. What kind of father would he be to her? Pirates swore loyalty to no one. Obviously Milah had fit in quite well with such a group. She even lied to him, her precious captain, keeping their daughter a secret…so that she could continue to live the kind of rootless existence she so desired, no doubt.

He ran his fingers through his hair, slamming his fist down on the table and savoring the sudden throbbing pulse of pain through his hand that distracted him from the myriad of emotions he couldn't seem to sort through.

Suddenly, the bell on the door rang. Sighing deeply and smoothing out his suit, he stood from the chair and made his way slowly to the front, the hope that he might get to throw a little magic around to a disgruntled townsperson growing by the second. To his great surprise, it was the last person…or rather, the second to last person behind her father…he'd ever expected to walk through his door again.

"Thank you," she said softly, her eyes dark but her tone genuine. "For giving me my father and for saving the love of my life. You've done a lot of evil in your lifetime, but I see that you're really trying to make up for it. And I hope that you can."

He didn't answer her. What could he say? He couldn't tell her that he loved her regardless of her…unfortunate…parentage. He couldn't ask her to forgive him for keeping her from her father, for killing her mother, for locking her away in a tower…first, to keep anyone from recognizing her and returning her to where Milah could find her again…and later, in fear that he would lose the only person he'd loved besides Belle since he'd let his son fall through that portal. And he certainly couldn't tell her that Hook being her father didn't change the fact that killing him was still a very real possibility.

So he said nothing. He merely nodded, his eyes meeting hers as he attempted to communicate everything he couldn't say in one look. She returned his nod, her head tipping ever so slightly to indicate that in one way or another, she seemed to understand. And then, she was gone, as quickly as she had come, and with a sigh, he returned to the back of the shop.


End file.
